Tripping the Light Fantastic

Tripping the light fantastic

12am

Chloe is so high when she enters the club that she can't see straight. Tripping over herself she leans into the wall trying to balance, too gone to notice the grime coating it. She feels good. She feels fucking fantastic. The kind of drunk where everything is shiny and everybody is interesting. She hasn't got this kind of a high from alcohol in a very long time. Wiping her hand across her forehead she steadies herself before entering the main room where the dance floor is. She can already feel the heavy beat in her bones, making her blood jump in time to the song. And God, she loves this song. Taking a final look in the mirrored wall facing her she walks slowly, regally, into the room.

12.05am

She sees Maya to the left, blurry and sparkling, wearing a long line of tinsel around her neck - her cheap alternative to a boa. Raising her hand in a greeting to Chloe she falls backwards, landing on a suited man. Score.

Chloe takes a moment to listen to the music and remembers that she freakin loves this song. She fucking loves Metropolis. Why did she ever go to Shitville?

*"Chloe, I wanted you to hear it from me, it wasn't planned....I am sorry." Lois sounding so fucking mournful.*

Oh no. Not going there. This is a night for fun, frolicking and beautiful drunkenness. And so she dances.

1am

"Chloeeeeeeee" Chloe turns, trying to see where the screech is coming from. Warm, wet, glittering arms engulf her from behind lifting her off the ground.

"Mayaaaaaaa" Chloe replies turning around and somehow escaping her grasp.

"How are you feeling babe? Seeing only one of me I hope?" Maya asks with a smile.

"Actually, the both of you look very pretty." Taking a lung full of air she continued, "I need water. Lots and lots of water."

Dragging her to a suddenly available sofa, Maya leaves her there on her quest to the bar. With the kind of concentration only normally required to finish an essay on the Rights of Man, Chloe hauls herself up to what she hopes is a dignified sitting position. This night is beginning to slightly suck. The high of an hour ago is slowly fading to a distinct nauseous feeling.

"There you go." Chloe looks up to find Maya placing a....cocktail jug on the table in front of her.

"It's water." Off Chloe's sceptical look, "Trust me." The first two glasses go down her like a couple of sips.

"So, how's the whole drinking through the pain going for you? It's the fifth night and there should be some sort of result by now shouldn't there?"

Chloe looks up from her jug, carefully considering her response. "Shut up."

2am

The room is standing still and there are now only about 100 people in the club instead of the 200 she was seeing before. She also seems able to walk for a considerable amount of time, okay five minutes, without needing to grab the nearest available body for support. She is feeling better, possibly even 10 per cent sober which of course means she is feeling worse. Maya has loaned her her tinsel and applied some bright pink sparkly monstrosity to her lips, fully taking advantage of her inability to move her limbs half and hour ago.

"I need the toilet" Chloe realises, out loud. To no-one in particular.

Pushing open the doors out of the main room she enters a dark corridor, lit up in blue. Stopping outside the first door she concentrates very very hard. There is a picture of someone. With Trousers.

"The Men's" She exclaims triumphantly

"Yes. I noticed" comes a disembodied voice from behind her.

Only one person can stand in a dark porn lit corridor filled with various forms of human fluids and sound as if he is in a board meeting.

"Oh God." She leans her head against the wall.

"Please, Lex is fine"

"My night is now complete."

Chloe turns around and stares. She hasn't seen Lex since graduation. Their joint efforts against his father had given them a sort of bond for a couple of months but that had slowly disappeared with life taking its place. She has kept an eye on what he was up to out of habit but that was a part of her life she wanted to not think about for another 30 years until she could remember it with rosy nostalgia and forget about actual facts.

The very last thing she wants to see tonight are reminders from Smallville. Especially now.

"I never pinned you for Hot Pink Revlon Glitter, Chloe"

"And the fact that you know it's brand name tells me more than I ever want to know" she replies leaning straighter against the wall.

Blinking, she studies him, "What are you doing here Lex?" Off his raised eyebrows she laughs. "Seriously, this is like a normal club with normal people." "It's so weird that you're here." She says more softly, more to herself.

Looking carefully at her he seems to be searching for the words, sifting through what he can and cannot say. "I guess I was looking to remember something."

Chloe smiles then, bright and wide, "And I was looking to forget."

"Smallville."

"Smallville."

Lex is studying her again and she can just tell that he knows. She can see him formulating the words, the sympathy, the meaningless encouragement. Rushing to stop him before he gets it out she doesn't have time to control the crack in her voice that comes with it, "It's ok. I'm over it...him. I have been for a long time." Her eyes proving the lie in her words.

Lex nods absently and Chloe suddenly feels foolish, like he hadn't been thinking that at all.

"You need a lift back home?" And something has shifted. His voice has dropped and Chloe is suddenly aware of atmosphere where there had been none before.

"Yes."

4.00am

Lex is clawing at her. High above him against the wall she has her legs wrapped around him. In her mind there are just explosions after explosions. She is trying desperately to think, think about what she is doing. He is moving so achingly slowly that she has to reach down and grab him by the shoulders and move him faster against her. There have been deep languid kisses before and now this. She finds that she prefers this. This brutal coupling, like they are trying to fuck things out of each other. Chloe feels a rapid tingling in her body coming at her like waves hitting the shore, and suddenly all those songs about passion were making sense. This is sex in its purest and most undiluted form. Chloe had always suspected that the best sex came from being with someone who you didn't completely care about and this experience was proving the point.

She comes with a deep shudder just after Lex. She looks down and smiles in wonder, happiness and relief. Lex smiles back, an expression of genuine surprise in his eyes. They are still clinging to each other.

"I always knew you would be good." She says laughing. Suddenly, this whole situation is hilarious. She is straddling Lex in the hallway of the penthouse, both still half clothed and she can see the distinct outline of pink glitter on his lips.

Lex smirks and kisses her.